Valpak redesigns smartphone app, launches iPad app

Couponing company Valpak redesigned its iPhone and Android apps and launched its first-ever iPad tablet app, said Nancy Cook, the company's VP of digital business development.

Valpak was prompted to upgrade the old apps and launch the new iPad app as a response to increased overall consumer tablet use, Cook said. Valpak app downloads have tripled over the past 13 months, she added.

The new app has the same core features as the iPhone and Android apps, though it also enables users to print remotely.

The biggest enhancement to the upgraded mobile handheld app is that it will allow consumers to make purchases according to their zip code or by leveraging each device's GPS capabilities.

“We are targeting customers who are on the move,” Cook said. “It's really to engage a new audience. We don't expect consumers of the future to be buying things from behind a desk.”

Valpak's upgraded applications also have Twitter and Facebook integration, she said.

“We know that consumers will be willing to share with friends and family,” Cook said. The updated apps also enable consumers to track self-selected “favorites.”

“Digital is absolutely a key focus for Valpak,” she added. “We want this experience to be as personal as possible.”

All of the advertisers currently signed up through Valpak's digital services will be available in the new apps.

Valpak first launched an iPhone app in 2009. Last March, Valpak launched a location-based digital coupon service developed by Metaio GmbH.

Cook declined to name the California-based tech company that built the upgraded app.